April Henry - The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

“Biological warfare was outlawed forty years ago,” she says. “But it’s not illegal to research how to defend against it.”

Ty straightens up. “Aren’t those things really two sides of the same coin?” he asks. “If you’re researching how to defend yourself, couldn’t that same research be used to figure out how to attack someone else?”

“Exactly. And the coin can get very thin at times.” Liz beams at him and then turns to me. “This boy of yours is bright.”

We both flush, for different reasons. He’s not a boy and he’s not mine.

“But what about the government?” I ask. “Don’t they know what’s going on?”

Liz shakes her head. “No one in the federal government keeps track of how many labs there are in the U.S., let alone what research they’re doing. They do monitor a few pathogens, like anthrax. But hantavirus isn’t one of them.”

I think of Pandora’s box. “But how could hantavirus be used as a weapon anyway? Wouldn’t it just kill everyone once you started spreading it around? Hantavirus doesn’t care who it kills.”

“But it isn’t spread from person to person,” Liz says. “And with the vaccine, you could choose who didn’t get sick after breathing in the virus.”

I nod, but I’m not quite following.

Liz leans closer. “Okay, imagine a bomb, one that’s filled with the droppings of infected field mice that have been dried out and pulverized. Which means trillions of infected particles have been weaponized. Say the bomb is set off in Country A’s capital. In about four days, everyone who breathed in the particles—the president, the judges, the statesmen, and of course the citizens—starts to get sick. Muscle aches, fever, weakness. At first people think it’s the flu. Only, ninety-five percent of them will die within a few days of exhibiting symptoms.” She waits a minute for this to sink in.

“So during a war,” I say, “a country could drop the bomb, kill everyone, and then send in vaccinated soldiers to clean up.”

She nods. “There’s another possibility, one that’s less drastic. What if they set off the bomb and then offered people the vaccine in the first three days of exposure, before the symptoms start? That way no one would get sick, or if they did it would be mild.”

“But what would be the point of that?” Ty asks.

“Before they got the vaccine, the government of Country A might have to meet certain demands. Maybe the government would have to step down. Or maybe they would have to give up their nuclear weapons.”

“So our government wants this hantavirus and the vaccine?” Ty asks.

“A lot of people might want it,” she says. “It could also be used on a smaller scale, say, putting the virus in the air vents of a shopping mall or a casino or a school. Or contaminating letters with powdered virus and sending them to the media or politicians or CEOs. Or renting a cropduster and spraying the virus over a football stadium or a parade route. And if the people who inhale the virus want to live, they have to pay.”

Ty puts his finger on something that had nagged me. “But if I didn’t feel sick and you told me that in four days I was going to die from a disease I’d never heard of, why would I believe you?”

“Another good question,” Liz says. “For it to work, a small number of people might need to be infected earlier. As an example of what could happen.”

“As an example?” I echo. “But they would die! Who would do something that terrible? Terrorists?” I imagine men calling out to God as they press a lever.

“Or just people who want to make a lot of money.” Liz looks from Ty to me. “How much would you pay for a cure if you knew you were going to die?”

Ty and I don’t say anything. We just look at each other. It’s clear what the answer is. If you knew you were going to die, you would pay anything, do anything.

I feel dizzy. I don’t know if it’s from everything that’s happened in the last two days, the headache, or what Liz just told us. Probably all three.

“Has Z-Biotech done anything with it yet?” Ty asks.

“Most of the first batch of vaccine went to animal testing and then, when that worked, on a few human volunteers at the lab. Now they’re making a new vaccine, but it takes weeks. First you have to inject live virus into fertilized eggs and incubate them while the virus replicates. And then to make the vaccine, you have to mix embalming fluid with the liquid inside the eggs.”

“That kills the virus,” Ty says. “I’ve read about killed virus vaccines. Killed virus can’t cause an infection but it will still kick the immune system into gear if someone is vaccinated with it.”

Liz nods. “That’s right. Janie was so excited when it looked like the vaccine might be successful. Then she and Patrick began to suspect what Z-Biotech was planning on doing with it. But they needed proof. If they made accusations that turned out to be wrong, their careers would be over. And without proof, Z-Biotech could just destroy the evidence. So they started secretly taking photos and going through files.” My aunt’s voice gets an edge. “I told Janie it wasn’t safe. But you know your mother—she’s stubborn. She said they were covering their tracks. But someone at Z-Biotech must have realized what they were doing.”

“But what’s happened to them since they called you?” It’s hard for me to get the words out. “The radio said they found human remains in our family’s cabin.”

Liz leans forward and squeezes my hand. This time I don’t pull away. “Oh, Cady, did you think it was them? That story was probably planted by Z-Biotech. Yesterday morning your parents went to work and got caught getting the last piece of evidence they needed. They took Max and left. They tried to warn you, but couldn’t get in touch. So they left a bizarre message at your school to let you know something was wrong. And then they called and asked me to help you.

“But by the time I heard your mom’s message, those two men had already grabbed you. Beaten you up. Searched your house. They wanted to know where the evidence or your parents were, but you said you didn’t know.” Her eyes search mine. “But now that you know what really happened, are you starting to remember?” She lets go of my hand.

“Maybe.”

“Z-Biotech is not only looking for the evidence your parents took but for something else. Your parents are the only ones who have ever been successful in making a hantavirus vaccine. But they used some trick, some formula to make it work, and they told me they planned to take that with them. It’s only in their heads, not on paper.”

The pressure in my temple eases a little bit. “So now Z-Biotech won’t be able to sell the virus and the vaccine to the highest bidder?”

“They still have a batch of vaccine in production, plus a little that was left over from the earlier testing. But that’s it, unless Z-Biotech can find the formula. That must be why they searched the cabin, in case your parents had hidden anything there. But they found nothing, and you seemed to know nothing. So they decided to kill you. To them, you were as disposable as a piece of Kleenex.”

Ty shakes his head and makes a wordless sound of protest.

“After you escaped, they knew they had to start spreading lies about you. That way, if you went to the police, they wouldn’t believe a word you say.” Her eyes never waver from my face. “But the thing is, Cady, I think you really do know something. I think your mind shut down to prevent you from telling those men. I think you know where your parents are or where they hid the information.”

“I don’t though.” The throbbing in my temple is worse. “Or if I did, it’s all gone. Some of what you said does sound familiar, but I can’t remember any more than that.”